Where to get pasta faster

If you're looking for informal attitude, cheerful service, decent cooking and wholly reliable pasta in a hurry, we've found the best places to visit. Plus, find out where to drink wine in style...

Carluccio's Caffe8 Market Place, W1If ever there was an Italian equivalent to a French Brasserie then Carluccio's is it. Great informal attitude, very decent cooking and the pasta is wholly reliable. £20pp excluding drinks. (020 7935 5927)

Spiga84-86 Wardour Street, W1Hidden in a basement, this pizza and pasta stop is a cheerful place with good dishes and an agreeably no-nonsense vibe. £25pp excluding drinks. (020 7734 3444)

Al Duca4-5 Duke of York Street, SW1A carefully thought out restaurant with a series of set deals: you pick the number of courses and then you know what you're paying. Sound Italian cooking. £25pp ex-drinks. (020 7839 3090)

Cork & Bottle44 Cranbourn St, WC2This archetypal Seventies wine bar is still going strong in its basement premises beneath Leicester Square. The long list of wines will satisfy even the most discerning palate. (020 7734 7807)

Nicolas Bar à Vins1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, E14This is really an off-licence, but you can adjourn to the French-style bar to enjoy some of the very best that this old-world wine-producing nation has to offer. And at no extra charge. (020 7512 9283)